Burger King to appear in office canteens, ties up with corporate offices

You may soon be able to gorge on burgers from Burger King in your office canteen. After having set up shops in airports and the Delhi Metro, the world's second largest quick-service burger chain is all set to widen its footprint into corporate offices across India.

"Technology has changed the way people access food across the world. The way e-commerce has changed the growth of food delivery business in India is not even funny. For instance, in the US market, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are present in Walmarts, on ships, in trains and even in army bases. In India, we need to think of new ways of getting closer to the consumer," Rajeev Varman, CEO at Burger King India, told TOI.

Varman, who spearheaded the Miami-based burger chain's turnaround in the UK, is betting on innovation to fast-forward its growth in India. Burger King was one of the first QSR chains to launch its products on eBay and Paytm. In one year of its operations here, the company has opened 28 outlets and is planning to open 12 more by the year-end at an investment of Rs 1.75-3 crore each.

Varman, however, refused to divulge long-term numbers. "I look at the business quarter by quarter. At store level, we have been profitable from day one. At company level, it will take us a few more stores and months to reach there," he said.

The burger chain, known for its signature burger the Whopper, is currently toying with the idea of launching rice-based products here. "We are piloting the products in Bangalore, where we are trying different combinations with rice such as crispy fried chicken, fiery chicken wings and gravy," said Varman.

However, he said vegetarian options are the prime focus for the company here. "India is the only market in the world where we sell three different Whoppers, including vegetarian ones. Across the year, the split in veg-non-veg sales is around 50:50. But here, even non-veg consumers turn veg on certain days of the week due to religious reasons. During festivals such as Navratri, the split between veg and non-veg sales at our stores goes up to 65:35," he said.

On Burger King's rivalry with McDonald's, which entered the country in 1996, Varman said organized players only constitute 2% of India's QSR market, which is set to double in size to around $1.1 billion between 2013 and 2016, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. "The aim is to penetrate the 98%," he said.